You DON’T Need All-Wheel Drive in Your EV… Here’s Why!
All-wheel drive can be a godsend but you don’t necessarily need this technology even in snow and ice because a quality set of winter tires can take you a lot farther than you might expect plus with EVS skipping all-wheel drive can actually provide some big Benefits those advantages weren’t lost on Volvo for 2024 the company made available the first rear drive vehicles in its us lineup in some 25 years and they are surprisingly capable previously known as the xc40 recharge and C40 recharge they’ve been newly rebranded ex40 and ec40 respectively now despite
Having only two driven wheels these vehicles had the performance and traction to safely take me and several other members of the media from Denver to Seattle a distance of more than 1300 Mi and we did it in slippery winter conditions in just a few short days and
Wouldn’t you know it nobody slid off the road or plowed into another vehicle because they couldn’t stop more proof that you can skip all-wheel drive when configuring your next EV don’t get me wrong I am not here to disparage all-wheel drive like I would circus peanuts candy that stuff is
Absolutely nasty there are numerous benefits to having four driven Wheels it improves vehicle handling on dry pay it enables light duty off-roading and it enhances Traction in a wide variety of conditions from rain to snow ice dust even perhaps if a tank or truck full of ranch dressing overturns authorities in
Maryland say a tractor trailer hauling ranch dressing crash spilling dressing and about 75 gallons of diesel fuel there are many reasons to consider a vehicle with all-wheel drive but of course there are downsides as well especially with EVS opting for four driven wheels of course increases weight
And complexity it often costs a lot and of course it typically comes with a big reduction in electric vehicle range sticking with front or rear wheeel drive and getting a good set of winter tires can save you a lot of money and help you drive a lot farther on a full
Charge and thanks to the magic of video editing it is now the dead of winter and that Volvo xc40 has transformed itself into a Ford Mustang Mach e a rear wheeel drive model fitted with you guessed it winter tires in this case a set of 18in Michelin X ice snows that have performed
Admirably this season and I cannot emphasize how much confidence running the proper rubber can give you whether you’re on a racetrack off-roading in the desert or in this case driving in snow and ice with winter tires it feels like I could practically climb Mount Everest in this vehicle the difference is that
Pronounced honestly ly in heavy snow and ice I can steer stop and accelerate better than four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive pickup trucks and SUVs that are only running allseason tires the difference is remarkable and it is immediately obvious winter tires are a huge confidence boost and you’ll actually see other drivers out there
Slipping and sliding all over the place but you can just very easily Mosey right around them like it’s nothing at all and it does make you feel a little bit smug because you’ve got so much more more traction than they do at least it makes me feel
Smug now all of that being said yes you still have to be careful winter tires are not a miracle but Vehicles fitted with them do Drive far far better in cold conditions with winter tires and hey really quick make sure you subscribe to the eveve pulse YouTube channel for
More content like this plus vehicle reviews Tech features Auto Show reveals and a whole lot more so generally you’ll want to install winter tires when the temps drop to about 40° fahit or so and that’s because they typically have a softer rubber compound that helps provide that better
Traction in snow and ice though you will also get better grip on dry pavement as well now conversely you’ll want to swap back to your allseason or summer Tires when the temps do warm up typically in the spring and that’s because your winter tires will wear out faster in
Warmer temperatures so make sure you’re aware of that the easiest way to switch between summer or allseason tires and your Winters is to have those Winters mounted on a separate set of wheels then you can just Jack your car or truck up swap them out and you’re good to go
That’s what I do that’s what I’ve done for many years and it is super simple now I do understand a lot of you may not want to do that or be able to do that and that’s perfectly fine as well you can have your Winter’s mounted on
Separate wheels and just take them to a tire shop they’ll be able to mount them for you as well now if you don’t have the budget to buy a separate set of rims to run with your winter tires it’s not the end of the world just take those
Tires to a shop and they’ll be able to swap them onto your existing rims no trouble at all additionally that won’t cost you very much it’s usually very reasonable of course another benefit of having a separate set of wheels is that you’re not damaging your good rims by
Driving with them in the snow ice and potentially salt so that’s another benefit of buying a separate set of wheels so keep that in mind as well you know so many vehicles in the US these days come standard with allseason tires and supposedly they’re designed to
Perform well 12 months out of the year but in my experience that is really not the case tire companies will trumpet how good they’re all season offerings are but really they’re only about three season tires are good in the spring good in the summer good in the fall but once
Those temps start dropping and you start getting snow and ice you really want to switch over to a proper set of winter tires because again the the difference they make is so so pronounced I mean even in a rear wheeel drive car like this one you’ll be able to just very
Easily pass like a Jeep Wrangler if that Wrangler driver isn’t running the Right Tires that’s how big of a difference they can make anyway I will get off my winter tire soap box now the moral of the story here is if you’re shopping for an electric vehicle you do not
Necessarily have to get one with all-wheel drive if you live in an area that gets snow ice running the proper tires in this case winter tires makes all the difference and of course by skipping all-wheel drive going with front or rear wheeel drive as applicable you’re going to save money up front the
Vehicle will have reduced complexity and you’re probably going to have a good bit more range as well so three important benefits that you’ll want to consider but anyway let’s head back to some warmer and sunnier weather that’s a that’s how I’m teasing the call to action I hope you stick around for it
Next Up Click right over here to check out the video where I drive an updated 2024 Volvo C40 recharge and xc40 recharge on an epic road trip across the American West and we did it all on winter tires that’s right no all-wheel drive
All-wheel drive can be a godsend, but you don’t necessarily need it, even in snow and ice. A quality set of winter tires paired with rear-wheel drive or front-wheel drive will take you farther than you might expect, plus with EVs, skipping AWD actually provides some BIG range and price benefits.
🔌 Check out our recommendations for the best home EV chargers:
🏆 Best Overall Charger: JuiceBox 40 – https://go.evpulse.com/EVSE-BestOverall (affiliate)
🏷️ Best Value Charger: Emporia EV – https://go.evpulse.com/EVSE-BestValue (affiliate)
🔗 Full List w/ Reviews: https://go.evpulse.com/EVSE-BestList
👏 Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCFvAGQioaTHJaOLjp3s4cQ/join
🚗 More Features: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPSKilVZK-JJp7_hiQOEmxnrl3CiGIqdA
⏱️ Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:22 NEW Volvo RWD Vehicles
1:15 The Case for AWD
1:50 Downsides of AWD
2:20 Winter Tires are the Answer
4:00 Snow Tire Tips
5:35 What About All-Season Tires?
6:30 Potential Savings
👩💻 For the latest news from the electric vehicle frontier visit EV Pulse (https://www.evpulse.com).
📚 EV Pulse has all the information you need to master Electric Vehicles! How do you reduce range anxiety? Should you keep your car constantly charged? All of those questions and more are ones we want to help you answer, so you can be an expert when it comes to EVs.
➡️ Follow EV Pulse on Social:
https://www.facebook.com/EVPulseOnline/
https://www.instagram.com/evpulseonline/
@evpulse
🇪🇸 🇲🇽 ¿Hablas español?: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Wd_w9YglasvW_itwq8FhQ
#EVPulse #EVPulseFeature #CraigCole
